I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and compositions regarding light-responsive proteins and nucleic acids for gene expression.
II. Related Art
The ability to artificially control gene expression in eukaryotic cells is essential for many applications in basic molecular biology, including cell biology, biochemical or biomedical research. Most currently available gene regulatory systems are based on chemical inducer molecules (e.g. tetracycline) that must enter a cell to bind a target protein and activate its transcriptional activity. Such systems generally have downsides that include the need for the addition of a small chemical inducer and typically an inability to turn gene expression on and off rapidly.